Pregnancy is a beautiful thing, the thought that you would be having a mini you is such a blast. But there are lots of things that come with that happiness, that new reality.
A pregnant person is almost exactly new, more like a temporal birth of a salient feature. Hormones begin to rage, moods begin to change, and don’t get me started on the physical change, obviously swollen belly, fat leg, backache, and the likes.
These are some of the changes that come with being pregnant. The height of it all is in the birthing process.
So, you are thinking, why would this child not just drop?
Why must it compound the pain with the kicking and the pushing and all that?
Well, it is one of those things biology has explained, and it is also part of nature. There are however a lot of labor signs that a pregnant woman sees before she gets into full labor.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The links below may be affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy for more information.
One of these signs is diarrhea, a very unpleasant situation of visiting the toilet intermittently and losing body fluids. You don’t have to squirm or color your face with as much disgust as you can muster, it happens for a reason and among 10 pregnant women, 8 of them are likely to have this sign.
Imagine your pregnant partner comes to the sitting room, releases a very smelly fart, and runs to the toilet, repeats the process three times, and the fourth time shouts for you with the popular quip, the baby is coming.
So, pooping in a female is a sign of labor, and you did not know! You would be educated on the facts now. But First, what is diarrhea?
What is Diarrhea?
What goes beyond normal is going to the bathroom one too many times in a day. That is a cause for alarm!
In medical terms, this situation is called diarrhea.
Diarrhea is a common condition that involves the abnormal passing out of body fluids resulting from certain factors. This very discomforting situation happens as a result of different reasons and it usually spans for a period of three days.
In those three days, without taking the necessary steps towards curing it, you can lose a whole lot of weight, because your stomach may not be able to retain as much as possible.
It is important to tackle a case of diarrhea as it comes because it can lead to other complications if not tackled forthwith. One of these complications is dehydration and a woozy feeling.
You don’t want to get dehydrated, so in the event of diarrhea don’t feel ashamed, it happens to the best of us, take a very adequate amount of water. You could also take energy boosters.
The crux is to stay dehydrated so that the process would not leave you with a greater level of complications.
Diarrhea also affects people that have certain special cases, like HIV, Cholera, Typhoid, and Pregnancy- it is not a sickness, just a probable victim.
Our primary concern here is the pregnant person as a probable victim of this very unpleasant situation. Many scholars and researchers have established certain factors or signs that a pregnant person is in labor or is soon to deliver.
Now, you may not know this, but when a pregnant woman that is due tends to poop more than usual, it is a sure sign that labor is about to happen.
There are a lot of signs that one would experience during labor.
Signs of Labor in Pregnancy
There are many signs that a pregnant person is about to give birth. The process of childbirth is known as labor, and it begins basically with contraction of the uterus and very excruciating pain, with the kicks of the baby and the pushing.
Some hard situations! Below are some signs of Labor in pregnancy.
- Contractions: this is the foremost sign of pregnancy. There would be frequent contraction of the uterus. This situation or sign is always very painful and it goes on intermittently till the child is born.
- Pain in the back and the belly: this is another very common sign of labor during pregnancy. The person has a sudden and often very sharp pain on the back and belly. This also, like the contraction, goes on till the child is born.
- Bloody show: this is another sign of labor in a pregnant woman. It means the release of blood and mucus, usually a small amount, from the vagina. This should not be mistaken for miscarriage, as it occurs in small quantities and at the point of late pregnancy.
- Water Breaking: this means the rupture of the membrane sac that holds the baby. At the beginning of labor, the membrane sac, that contains fluids and the baby, breaks. This is one of the most common signs and it occurs in every pregnant woman.
- Diarrhea: This is another labor sign, and it occurs in almost every pregnant woman. Diarrhea during pregnancy is caused by a hormone known as prostaglandins.
These are some of the signs of labor during pregnancy. There are others like, reduce weight gain, fatigue, loose-feeling joints, and so on.
Diarrhea is a salient labor sign, but it is evident in a lot of pregnant women. Let us look at what causes it, and how you would know if it is a labor sign.
Diarrhea During Labor
Diarrhea is a very unpleasant situation, especially when one is pregnant or it has gone on for more than normal. It is one of the salient signs of labor and the situation is as nasty as any other sign of labor.
You would ask, what instigates the toilet feeling before labor? How can you differentiate this situation or this need to use the toilet as a sign of labor, from the normal intermittent need to poo?
Why must you have diarrhea before delivery? These are frequently asked questions that would be given answers to here. But first, what is the cause of diarrhea before labor?
Cause of Diarrhea Before Labor
Pregnancy in itself is a play of hormones. Once one gets pregnant the hormones start acting up. The body releases certain hormones that either make the person fat, very hungry, unusually irritable, and at the later part of the pregnancy, the diarrhea sets in.
This hormone change happens because your body needs to be prepared for the rigorous process of giving birth or delivery. This hormone change loosens the muscles in the cervix, uterus, and rectum.
Well, it would interest you to know that it is not the very hot mac and cheese you ate in the night that’s caused diarrhea.
According to medical experts and researchers, diarrhea is a natural way of helping you create space, enough room for your baby to come out. It is the natural way of clearing the ground, albeit a shitty way.
Diarrhea during labor, or as a sign of labor, is caused by the hormone known as prostaglandins. This hormone is responsible for the dilation of the cervix and it also causes contraction.
The hormone is responsible for certain signs like contraction of the uterus, bloody show, and pain in the back. As part of its function, the hormone helps create room for the baby to come out through diarrhea.
Things you should know about Pre Labor Diarrhea
Now, I’m sure you feel a little bit off about the whole bathroom thing, but it is perfectly normal to have that constant situation as a pre-labor process, perfectly normal.
However, if you don’t have it, it does not mean your child would not come out fine, or anything is wrong, so you don’t have to have any fear. Let me give you certain things you have to know about pre-labor diarrhea.
- It is perfectly normal. You don’t have to fear, or feel ashamed, as it is just your body creating enough room for the baby to emerge.
- It may not happen as you think it would. However, it means your baby is on its way.
Things you can do about Pre-labor Diarrhea
As we have said before, pre-labor diarrhea is a normal occurrence and should not be something to make you fear, or ashamed. However, there are important things that you can and should do during the span of this situation.
Some of these things include:
- Hydrate at all times. Be sure to stay hydrated always, as this would help replace the electrolytes and the liquid that your body’s losing intermittently.
- Ensure to eat. You may feel that the event would only get worse when you eat, but you still have to maintain your strength, so I suggest you eat small amounts of food, enough to keep you from falling.
- Avoid fatty, proteinous, excessively fibrous, and acidic foods. All of these should be avoided as they would add a bulk amount of your stool and may likely elongate the span of diarrhea.
- Try to stay indoors. Shy away from any form of walks or any of that, so you don’t get pressed far from home
- Above all, do not panic. Remember what is happening to you is because you are about to give birth to that bundle of joy. However, take a seat in the corridor close to the toilet, so when your stomach starts rumbling and the need to go arises again.
Pre-labor diarrhea is one of those things that happens before a pregnant woman delivers their baby. As unpleasant as this is, it is very important to go through this process, as it helps lighten the weight and process of pushing.
So, when you have this situation close to your date of delivery, it most likely means that you are close to giving birth to your baby.
So, let your heart be filled with the joy that this process would bring, and use that toilet with happiness, knowing that in a few days or hours as the case may be, you would see the fruit you have held in your womb for 9 months.